This is getting way out of hand. On Saturday, Us magazine had an "exclusive" report that Heidi had been rushed to hospital "with an undisclosed medical emergency." Apparently, Spencer twittered it. Or his witless sister, Stephanie. Or both.
On Sunday, TMZ reported that Miss Heidi had a gastric ulcer as a result of being "tortured" in the Chamber of Horrors, where she and her wastrel husband Spencer were being held hostage, in the dark, fed only water, rice and beans—just like in Guantanamo Bay!—for one day and one night. Or for three whole days, according to E! Online, which also ran the following statement from NBC's head of alternative programming Paul Telegdy:
But then: Gawker's Defamer wing subsequently reported that Telegdy, under orders from his boss Ben Silverman, had flown to Costa Rica to throw more money at the Pratts after they tried to quit the show and beg them not to leave. (Told ya!) They also pointed to subsequent updates on TMZ throughout yesterday and today that (1) IACGMOH producers were pissed at Spencer's torture claims, insisting the whole situation was safe and supervised and, most important, on film, so we can see for ourselves; and then (2) that the Pratts were, in actual fact, lounging in a hotel for three days; and then (3) that Spencer says that's all bullshit and is planning on suing NBC; and (4) omg, the Pratts are trying to get out of Costa Rica but doctors won' t give Heidi clearance to fly; and (5) look! Here are photos of the Lost Chamber, which may or may not have involved real torture.
And as for the latest, as of right now, back to E!: All the reports are inaccurate, everybody's fine, Heidi was never tortured, she was just feeling unwell and needs more tests, they're both still in Costa Rica, tune in tonight and the truth will out.
All this publicity-seeking sturm und drang, and for what? The gossip blog community may be all over this, but will that really translate into bigger numbers tonight? I guess we'll find out soon enough, but I will say this: All this manufactured drama and cheap manipulation have completely corrupted the show. The whole premise was doomed to fail from the start.
The reason IACGMOOH is popular in the UK is partly the fascination with the social experiment angle: putting disparate personalities together in a harsh, unfamiliar environment and seeing how they cope. There is also a vicarious, slightly sadistic thrill in having a hand in the fate of the cast by voting them into those hideous trials, and finding out who cracks under the pressure while cheering on those who flourish and triumph. Those three weeks in the jungle are life-transforming for the people who've participated in IACGMOOH-UK over the last eight years—that's what drives them to do the show in the first place—and that's also compelling to watch.
And it's funny! It doesn't take itself half as seriously as IACGMOOH-US. All this Pratt nonsense has been so distracting that even after one full week, there's no traction at all. The show's still in limbo, entirely dependent on the Heidi-Spencer arc. We should be well into the interactive element by now, with our votes impacting the campmates' fates and, with any luck, their sanity. But as it is, it's impossible to understand what this show is supposed to be—a competition? a popularity contest? a soap opera?—and any initial good will towards it has run dry.
Of course, I'll watch tonight's bloated two-hour episode. Depending on how it plays out, it may be the last time.
photo courtesy of NBC
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